Ransom — Roy A. Teel Jr.

"No one is safe in Los Angeles. We can get to anyone, anywhere, at any time."

Back matter:

When the 14-story Versailles Tower condominium complex collapsed, taking more than 800 residents with it, the LAPD had more than just a catastrophe on its hands. An anonymous terrorist group had forewarned a local Times reporter that a tragedy of great proportion was imminent, but they didn't say why or demand anything...initially. As authorities work to identify victims, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the FBI have a lack of leads and only a letter written in human blood to trace. Knowing that an even larger, more devastating demolition is in the works, Sheriff Sam Pritchard, Undersheriff Jim O'Brian, and FBI Special Agent John Swenson race against time while two people close to the Iron Eagle fight for their very own lives.

Inside flap:

In the years since the great fires destroyed Los Angeles in a plot known as Rome Is Burning and disgraced Marine Corps Colonel Colleen Bolton and her team of home-grown terrorists were brought to justice by the Iron Eagle, Los Angeles has recovered and rebuilt. The Versailles Tower had withstood the fires, but a new terrorist group with ties to Bolton has emerged and made their demands known by bringing down Versailles and killing more than 800 of its residents. As the government refuses to negotiate with the terrorists, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and FBI have joined forces once again to bring those criminals to justice as two of their own fight for their very lives.